Seethawaka Wet Zone Botanic Gardens, Avissawella

Seethawaka botanic garden is located 50 km East from Colombo near the village Illukovita. If you think that this Park will be similar to Paradaniya Botanic gardens or Haggala, it is not so. Seethawaka has a small area designed for flowers, but mostly this Park is about trees. The purpose of creating the Park was to preserve endangered species of flora grown in the wet zone of Sri Lanka.

The project of the Seethawaka wet zone Park launched in 2008. The Park covers an area of 106 hectares. The Botanical garden continues to evolve and grow. Many planted young trees, which need time to show their beauty. Most of the trees and bushes marked with nameplates. On a beautifully paved path, you can climb to the top of the Park, which offers a beautiful overview of the surrounding area. This place is perfect for spending time with family and it is easy to reach from Colombo. The Park is open all days throughout the year from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm.

Hakgala Garden via Nature of Srilanka

Hakgala Botanical Gardens, Nuwara Eliya

10 km away from Nuwara Eliya town to the south, 1700m above the sea level, there is the Hakgala Garden, which was established in 1860 by the eminent British Botanist Dr. G.H.K. Thwaites. The scientist was superintendent of the more famous gardens at Peradeniya: first as a cinchona plantation from which the anti-malarial drug quinine is derived, and then adapted to an experimental garden for the acclimatization of plants from temperate zones in the tropic. There are over 10,000 species of flora planted here. In the garden can be found all the flowers of an english cottage garden in spring and summer, and much others – such as the oldest tea-bush in the island, an ornamental pond and quaint sommerhouse. Hakgala (Jaw Rock) rises a sheer 460 m and offers one of the most beautiful views ever.

Royal Botanic Garden, Kandy

Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens, the finest of its kind in Asia, the largest of the botanical gardens of Sri Lanka, couldn’t be better located. In the Mediterranean climate of Kandy, the gateway to the Central Highlands, the Gardens, at an elevation of 500 meters above sea-level, were tightly bounded on three sides by a loop of River Mahaweli (Great sandy river), the largest river of Sri Lanka. The town of Peradeniya is located at a distance of 110km from Colombo and another 6km over the Peradeniya Birdge and you are at Kandy, home to the sacred Temple of Tooth.

Dehiwala National Zoo via Department of National Zoological Gardens

National Zoological Gardens, Dehiwala

The Dehiwala National Zoo, which has a remarkable collection of exotic and indigenous fauna, is one of the oldest zoos in Asia. The Zoo in Sri Lanka is widely known as Colombo Zoo all over the world. Currently, Dehiwala Zoo houses 72 species of mammals, 65 species of birds, 31 species of reptiles, 89 species of fish, 03 families of amphibians and 30 species of butterflies etc. The total number of animals varies from 2500-3000 due to breeding and free living colonies of birds.

Dehiwala Zoo has become famous among the visitors not only for collection of local and exotic animals but also for landscaping with lush greeneries. The Zoo supports and promotes conservation by breeding certain rare and endangered species through proper animal welfare. Annually, over one and half million local and foreign tourists visit the Zoo. And over 2000 students and groups of students from schools and universities visit the Zoo for educational purposes.